The two biggest dances of the school year, Junior Prom and Senior Ball, are only a few months away. At the start of the school year, Amador’s administration introduced new rules that juniors and seniors must follow to attend the highly anticipated events.
“The current requirements are [students] need to attend classes and cannot have more than three unexcused absences during the review period from Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, to Friday, Mar. 6, 2026,” said AV attendance clerk Kelly Cantu.
The new rules not only address absences but also the problem of students being late to school.
“If you have six tardies, you can’t go [to the dances],” said Cantu.
Attendance Rates Rise
These rules have been a big change for many seniors and juniors. However, there has already been a noticeable improvement in student attendance all across Amador.
“I’m out there some mornings supporting student drop off and in the afternoons supporting pick ups. What I have noticed is that some students who tend to sometimes run a little late, have been on time. I remember talking to a few of them. I said, ‘You want to go to senior ball or junior prom?’ and they were like, ‘yeah,’” said AV Principal Malcolm Norrington.
Although some seniors and juniors have adjusted to the higher standard for attendance, some students still struggle with adhering to the new policy. Consistent attendance can be daunting when prom or ball is on the line. However, there are things those students can do in order to get the least amount of tardies possible.
“Obviously, come to school, and be on time. If a teacher or a sub accidentally marks you absent, you need to talk to the teacher first thing the next day…[the student] will get a correction slip to fix that. Keep looking at your attendance and watch to make sure that you weren’t marked absent if you were present,” said Cantu.
Struggling to Get to School
Many of the students have mixed opinions about the new rules. The district anticipated many of the problems the students might be facing with the new rules in place.
“It definitely gets its job done when it comes to getting people’s attendance [record] on track and motivating people, but it might have also caused a lot of inconveniences…I haven’t been to school as much as I can because I’ve been fading in and out of illness. Because of that, I have to make sure I properly log absences or half-days that I take into the system. But with that, the moment that I don’t do that on time, I get flagged down immediately, and it gets very stressful,” said Leona Jew (‘27).
Purpose and Support
The new rules may be difficult for people who have trouble getting to school consistently. However, school staff is there to help with that.
“We’re not going to penalize someone because they’re injured or they have challenges getting here. We’re going to support them. The district is built to do that, and that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to serve and support you all,” said Norrington.
The new policy is not to penalize students, but rather motivate them to come to school. PUSD’s goal is better attendance across the entire district. Additionally, students will benefit from this in the long run.
“Being conscious of your attendance, being on time and valuing time are habits that you develop now and you’ll carry on in your adult life,” said Norrington.
